Lora and I attended the 2013 Tennessee Trails Association Annual Meeting which was held at Fall Creek Falls State park. Lora went up Friday after work and I joined her Saturday morning for a group hike at Fiery Gizzard near Tracy City. Brent Morris was our hike leader. He did a great job and covered the history of the area along with some good stories. John and Nancy were the other couple to join us. The weather was great and there were a lot of hikers and backpackers on the trail. We hiked up to Werner Point and back, a 4.8 mile hike.
After the hike we made a trip to the Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City. If you are ever in the area, it is a must visit place. We picked up some calories for the trip back to camp.
Once each year, Tennessee Trails Association members from all across the state gather for a weekend of fun, food, and fellowship. There were hikes, exhibits, programs, auction and entertainment. The Annual Meeting was held at the Fall Creek Falls State Park and Convention Center, Pikeville, Tennessee. Annual Meeting of the membership we elected Officers and Board Members, heard about TTA developments, and presented several awards recognizing individuals or organizations for their outstanding contributions to the furtherance of TTA’s missions and goals.
Our hosts for this year's event were the Plateau, Soddy-Daisy and Upper Cumberland chapters. The Theme for the 2013 TTA Annual Meeting was: My Heart and Sole belong on a Tennessee Trail.
There were 13 different hikes planned to choose from including hikes with waterfalls, rock houses, serene woods and a historic farm. The hikes varied in levels from easy to strenuous and lengths varying from 2.5 to 11.5 miles. In addition to hiking, there were programs on wildflowers, first aid, leave no trace and birds.
Tentative figures from the meeting;
- 227 meeting attendees
- $4400 collected in registration fees
- $300 collected from bake sale
- $600 collected from cash bar
- $4000 (approx) collected from auctions (including the white elephant sale)
2014 Officers
President- Carolyn Miller- Plateau Chapter
Vice President- Levonn Hubbard- Plateau Chapter
Secretary- Diane Manas- Nashville Chapter
Treasurer- Kathy Woods- Nashville Chapter
Membership- Tim Townley- Jackson Chapter
There is a current opening for an East Tennessee Representative due to Levonn taking on the Vice President role as well our Middle and West Tennessee Reps positions will be coming open this year. If anyone is interested in serving or knows of someone who would be good in the position let me know. The regional reps help the chapters, look for opportunities to create new chapters, and assist with public relations for TTA and the chapters in their region.
Life Time Achievement Awards: Jim Schroeder and Martin McCullough
There were lots of active hikers. Heiss Mountain to Little Possum Creek had 21 hikers and Wheeler Farms had 45.
The next morning we joined everyone for breakfast at the lodge and then we hiked the 13 mile Upper Overnight Loop. It was a great weekend with lots of great people.
Pictures:
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